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Kanu’s rearrest, Igboho’s attack and the “selective” language they understand

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Nnamdi Kanu is leader of proscribed IPOB

The Insight by Lateef Adewole

“Eni ba ni ki laa se, laase han” (he who dares one, must be shown what one is capable of).

The Yoruba proverb above seems to depict what have been happening in Nigeria in the past two weeks, with regards to separatists’ agitations, their leaders and the likes. If we could recall what the president said while clarifying his earlier controversial statement about “dealing with them in the language they understand”, in the Arise TV interview, he made futile efforts to explain that he was referring to those who are causing troubles in the South-East and in other regions across the country, something like an afterthought. He also promised that Nigerians will witness many changes in the coming weeks (as at then).

True to his words, we have been witnessing a lot of changes in the security challenges facing the South-East. There was the deployment of special force, the Police IRT, from Abuja to South-East. Since then, there was serious crackdown on the IPOB members, who were accused for being behind all the attacks on people, security agents, police stations, correctional centers, INEC offices, security personnel and other government facilities and institutions. Allegations which IPOB denied. “Unknown gunmen” were said to be responsible.

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In the past two weeks, relative peace has returned to many parts of the region, hitherto “boiling”. The people are beginning to go about their lawful businesses, though, in modified lifestyle. My brother, who lives in Orlu, sent me a video of how people walk about, especially when passing the security checkpoints now. They raise up their hands as they walk across such points. That’s becoming the “new normal” in the South-East.

However, the peak of the shenanigans was the appearance of the supposed “invincible” Supreme leader of IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in court on Tuesday. It was like a magical film. How come? From where? Since when? These questions and the likes were what many Nigerians were asking. The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) made the announcement about the “interception”, re-arrest and bringing back of Kanu to continue to face his trial. That he has been in the country since Sunday, without the public finding out about it until the public announcement by Malami on Tuesday, not even by the “nosey” media houses online, print or electronic. That must be the most covert operation the NIA, said to be responsible for it, must have carried out in decades.

Sunday Igboho is on the run following a raid on his home by the DSS

Sunday Igboho is on the run following a raid on his home by the DSS

Many people were confused as to how to react, whether to be excited or sad. As usual, that was influenced by tribalism majorly. Then religion. Then partisanship. While many southerners were not excited or remained indifferent about the arrest, most northerners have been thrown into jubilant mood. They have been gloating, pontificating and grandstanding. There has been a sense of triumphalism.

It’s surprising that these same northerners were not as excited when the news of the death of the leader of the deadly terrorists’ organisation, Boko Haram, which has ravaged the north for more than a decade, Abubakar Shekau, filtered in, some weeks ago. In fact, and unfortunately too, some of them were sad that he died. We read of an aide to a serving national lawmaker from Borno state, eulogising Shekau and referred to him as a “martyr”. Unbelievable. That incident gave an insight into the thinking in many parts of the north and among many northerners. How could they be sympathetic to terrorists who murdered them?

Such a behaviour has always put question marks on the sincerity and genuineness of the fight against Boko Haram in the past thirteen years. Do the northerners really want an end to it? Why do we have so many sympathisers towards their cause, despite the enormity of the havocs they have wrecked in the same north, on the same northerners? They have killed thousands of people and displaced millions. Hundreds of villages have been sacked and destroyed. Is that Stockholm syndrome or what?

Let’s not start with the cases of killer Fulani herdsmen who have transmuted to full-scale bandits. They have taken over the governance of the northern region. They rule there. They dictate what happens on the roads, in the farms, in the communities, everywhere. They invade communities, kidnap, kill, rape women and girls, rustle cattle, steal properties and destroy whatever is left. In some areas, they collect weekly or monthly protection fees from the villagers, if they want to be alive. Many of their gang leaders boast about all of these publicly in many videos in circulation.

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Minister for Justice and Attorney-General Abubakar Malami EFCC assets

The office of the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General Abubakar Malami is prosecuting Nnamdi Kanu

Despite all these atrocities, the government never felt that was enough to declare them as terrorists. They have not been “dealt with in the language they understand” or maybe there was even no language prepared for them at all? We were all witnesses to how speedily the government declared IPOB as a terrorist organisation in 2017. As at the time, they engaged more in protests and agitations for Biafra, which were not violent. At a stage, a military operation “python dance” was unleashed on them. The military moved against them and crush them. That was what led to fleeing of Nnamdi Kanu in the first place. His father, mother and other family members were said to be killed in the operation.

So, it was no surprise that the same government would spare no expense to get Kanu arrested in any manner possible. Sadly, such vigour and desperation were not seen in the fight against bandits and killer Fulani herdsmen, who have had field days for this long. They take over highways. Kidnap travellers. They invade schools, kidnap hundreds of school children. Many lost their lives in the process. They demand and collect humongous ransoms.

Rather than take them head-on as done to the “recalcitrant” IPOB, proposals were been made to give them amnesty. To give them money, build houses, schools, hospitals and establishing businesses for them. It’s this kind of hypocrisy and double standards that watered down the excitement which the arrest of Kanu was supposed to attract.

We can imagine what it must have cost Nigeria to trail and nail Kanu for over two years, according to Alhaji Lai Mohammed. Just one man. While tens of thousands of bandits are roaming free in all our forests and towns in different parts of the country, committing heinous crimes. What do we call that? It doesn’t seem that the government is keen to bring them to book. After all, many times, it was all about making laws to protect herdsmen and their cows, reviving grazing routes and grazing reserves, and the likes.

Yoruba agitators arrested at Igboho's residence

Yoruba Nation agitators arrested at Igboho’s residence during the raid

Many Nigerians woke up to the news of dastardly invasion of Chief Sunday Adeyemo’s home in Ibadan, Oyo State, in the early hours of Thursday. When I saw the first video where a lady was live streaming from her room and reporting the incident, I dismissed it. I felt it was just a propaganda by them. Later, more videos of the incident started circulating on the social media. I had to quickly go on YouTube to watch many others and I was horrified by the level of savagery I saw. It was initially said to be by “unknown gunmen”, only for the DSS to claim responsibility for the attack. How on earth could an agency of government set up by the constitution, act in such manners like there were no rules of engagement at all time and under whatever circumstance?

There was blood all over the place, like the killed persons were dragged on the floor across the whole house and compound. DSS acknowledged that they killed two people. All the cars in the garage and within the premises were vandalised. Windshields, side glasses, etc, were viciously broken. The whole house, sitting rooms, bedrooms, dinning, kitchen, even toilets, were turned upside down. Ceilings were brought down. Every possible item was scattered. What was that for?

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The incident brought back the memory of how the same DSS broke into the houses of some Supreme Court judges some years ago. Wait a minute, is that the modus operandi and standard operating procedure (SOP) of the DSS? Whatever reasons that they have given for such invasion could not be justified enough for such massive damages.

If anything, such unnecessary attack on Igboho could only win him more sympathisers. This was how the government turned Nnamdi Kanu to a hero, when he was arrested in 2015 and subsequent mismanagement of his matter. Truth be told, there are numerous Yorubas who disagreed publicly and privately with Igboho, despite his claim to be fighting for the emancipation of the Yorubas and the realisation of a Yoruba nation.

Charms and passports recovered from Igboho's residence

Charms and passports recovered from Igboho’s residence

Many Yoruba leaders have always cautioned him, criticized many of his actions, activities and utterances. And he often retreated in most cases and even apologised. Since he started this agitations, there has been no report of him unnecessarily attacking people. No report of kidnapping, maiming or killing of innocent citizens by him like we have witnessed from killer herdsmen in the past six years. He did not abduct school children for ransom like bandits, or take communities hostage like Boko Haram. So, what exactly are his crimes that would warrant such massive attack and destruction of his properties, while the people who actually commit these crimes publicly, are being treated with kid-gloves? That’s hypocritical. It’s disheartening. It’s unacceptable.

For whom the Yorubas are, they never cover-up for any criminal among them. They believe in justice. So, if Igboho had committed any known offence, which seems to only be known to the DSS, unlike those crimes of the killer herdsmen, bandits and Boko Haram, which are preponderant and obvious to all, the Yorubas would support appropriate punishment for him, based on rule if law. But to go about it in such a Gestapo-like invasion is condemnable. Many believed the man would probably have been killed if he had been met there.

Where there is selective treatment of criminals based on tribalism, nepotism and faith, where component parts of a country are treated unequally, without justice, fairness and equity, where criminals from a region are treated with warm embrace while criminals from other regions outside that of country’s leadership, are treated with iron fists, there can never be “peace and progress”, as in the country’s national motto. That’s what we are having here. Many northerners feel like they are above the law, drawing from the body language, actions and inactions of the federal government and the president. That’s unacceptable.

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Now that Kanu is in the custody, we believe the law will be allowed to take its full natural course. There should be no self-help, underhand dealings and working back from the answer, as his trial proceeds. I have written many times to criticize his activities but that will not preclude me from wanting fair hearing for him.

Sadly, with the press release from the DSS on the attack on Igboho residence, it was like they are acting as the accuser, prosecutor, the judge and the jury, at the same time. He was accused of planning to wage a war against Nigeria and that guns were found in his house. Who does that with nine guns? We all saw the sizes and magnitude of the armouries which such people showcased and deployed in their terrorism and banditry. They are beyond six AK47s and three pump actions.

President Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed security actions across the country

In his press release, Sunday Igboho has refuted all of these allegations, accused the DSS of planting those guns in his residence, and destroying the CCTV cameras before carrying out the attack and the destructions. He said his only offense was chasing away criminal herdsmen who were kidnapping, maiming, raping and killing his people, an intervention he did as a result of the failure of the same government and security agents to protect the citizens. And for his active involvement in agitation for Yoruba nation. It’s now his words against theirs.

They said thirteen persons were arrested in his house. We hope proper investigations will be carried out unbiasedly and justice done. We also look forward to DSS deploying similar vigour in the north to tackle the bandits and Boko Haram, who are the greater enemies of the country as of today.

May God save our country.

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God Bless Nigeria.

Lateef Adewole is a political analyst and social commentator. He can be reached by email lateefadewole23@gmail.com or via WhatsApp +2348179512401 and @lateef_adewole on Twitter, Lateef Adewole on Facebook

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